Would it upset you if you discovered that your surname was incorrect?

I doubt I would adopt the ‘right’ surname now. I’m used to my own name and people know me by this name. I can’t see it would make much difference to me other than ‘fascination’ with the history behind the situation.

It may not effect you in the present as much as your descendants in the future?

Does it upset you, @Inspired_2write? It is still a trace of your family’s history, and it is 3 centuries old now. All names are arbitrary. People just decide what conventions to follow.

My surname is my father’s first name; that’s how it works where he’s from.

Why would it affect my descendents? They would have the same name and have lived with that name too. It’s a name. Unless I have some claim the throne that is driven by my lineage, I don’t think it matters.

It frustrates me because it has caused so many researchers to go off in the wrong directions.
(researching wrong lines).

It means that my surname is not wahat I thought it to be.
And so the descendants whom have had that surname too.

If it bothers you, perhaps you can change your name back to the name you should have?

That is the problem.
We are not sure what it is ?
Could be this one (has to be verified) or another.
I feel responsible for solving this mystery in our Family History as the longer that one leaves it the harder to trace back in history.
(1707).

Of sourse I will not change my present surname, it is a matter of solving our origins, that is all.
In the future when one is older , believe me it will get important to solve.

I am older @Inspired_2write. I can understand wanting to know your origins but for me, any historical diversion in terms of my surname doesn’t bother me.

First of all, one’s surname is what it is. It cannot be correct or incorrect, and certainly not just because one’s ancestors used a different name. Second, it should not have much effect on genealogical research so long as you are using sound methods. My grandmother was able to construct a family tree going back to the tenth century despite having to deal with two very unusual naming systems.

Uh, no. I’m pretty sure that my surname was slightly altered when our family arrived in the good ol’ US of A. No biggie. No one can spell it or pronounce it correctly, anyway. Even though it’s currently spelled and pronounced exactly as it is spelled. Kind of like Jones, only people pronounce it as Jons, Jonouns, Joons, Johans, Jans, Jacks, Joorns, Janz, Joens. It’s easy to sort out the telemarketers when they literally can’t spit out eh name John Jones.

Given how many names, like @Kardamom,‘s got changed going through Ellis island, you’re lucky to be able to trace it back before 1850.

And before about 1850 records are often wrong because people couldn’t spell and handwriting was atrocious. And in the 1700’s, lots of people still didn’t have two names. We have a whole group of people that were brought to the new world as slaves, and given a single English name, with no surname and no trace to the names they knew from birth. It’s one of the reasons things like Debrett’s Peerage and Burke’s Peerage came about, so that there was a record of the aristocracy.

I think you are making way to big a deal out of something that has no real impact on you.

I have several friends whose ancestors changed their surnames during the Holocaust. None of them were upset about it. If anything, they were intrigued as they learned about it and more about their ancestors.

I’m not sure why it matters. Many surnames got changed as immigrants adjusted to a new culture in the US. Some even voluntarily changed their surname. So? I don’t see why it would affect you or future descendants.

A bit, people know me as the volleyball outta Cast Away & that woud be a loss…it really would :-)

^^ Wilson!!!

You must be a male, @Inspired_2write. My surname has changed 3 times over the last 30 years (which means I’m one of those ‘older’ ones too.) When I was preparing to marry Rick I was fussing at my 18 year old son because I didn’t want to change my name (because it would be different from the kid’s last name.) He looked at me and in mock surprise said, “You’ll still be called ‘Mom’ won’t you?” :) I love him!

Edit..it’s changed TWICE, which means I’ve had 3 different surnames, including my maiden name.

@Kardamom :-)

@ucme I actually cried when that ball floated away and Tom Hanks was shouting out his name. It was heart wrenching.

@Kardamom And to think, we’ve never even met ;-}

I don’t mean that the surname was misspelled or shortened.
It is a strong possibility that we descend from an entirely different family lineage,
There seems to be always a mystery in every family to solve.
I merely wish to solve this one that remains lurking in our proverbile closet.

I have no idea who my family is beyond my great-grand parents. I never even met any of my grandparents.

My parents both moved away from their relatives long before we were born.
And when they passed away we had to round up distant relatives to inform them etc
We had no idea where to look, we finaly resorted to media communication.
It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that we discovered other living relatives!
We never knew Grandparents,Aunts,Uncles,Cousins,nor Great Great Granparents and so on.
We always felt left out of having family events as a result.

We did not even have a ‘memento” or picture of them.

I researched my Mothers side of the family to the Ukraine where their were descendants
who had been unsuccessfully able to locate family members that were important to them.
( some were babies , some 12 years old others of marrying age etc.

Some are very old and had waited and thus sufferred not knowing what had become of
their sons,daughters etc ( World War I and World War II)?
A lot immigrated to the U.S and Canada to get away from a harsh government, leaving some in that country that could not afford to leave .
They waited for a rescue, but never got one.
A sad situation.

We all have sad stuff in our backgrounds, @Inspired_2write.

True.
But needless.

Needless? How?

They could have kept in contact.( letter writing)?

You can do that now, though, right?

@Inspired_2write Communication is two way. Your parents could have kept in contact too. Oh, wait, no they couldn’t! Between World War II and the cold war right after they couldn’t even write letters! And no phone calls!

I still think you are being a little overblown over this. This world has gone though a lot of heartache and grief over wars and dictatorships and pogroms and death camps and the gulag. You seem to be judging what people did to survive as something inconvenient to you.

Overblown? Not Convenient to ME?
Try giving that response to the elders in Ukraine who are in ther 70’s,80’s and 90,s who waited, who sufferred in poverty. In fact in their old town , it still is poor conditions.
It looks like technology never existed…it never advanced.
They still use old wooden horsedrawn wagons?
I feel for their sufferrings.
Compassion.

Go getem and bring them here! Or send money! Or something!

If I had money to send I would.
But something tells me that it wasn’t just money that they needed.
thanks for answering my questions.

“Try giving that response to the elders in Ukraine who are in ther 70’s, 80’s and 90’s who waited, who sufferred in poverty.”

Perhaps you missed it, @Inspired_2write, but that was @zenvelo‘s point. You are complaining about things your ancestors did as if you don’t realize that they acted as they did to ensure their very survival. That it causes you a minor inconvenience now is not a good reason to complain.

Wait…are you saying the elders in Ukraine wouldn’t be suffering now if somebody hadn’t changed their name?

We are talking about Two different lineages.
One on my fathers side of the family..which is in doubt ( surname).

And the other my mothers side of the family whom lost contact and the results of that.
I am not complaining!
Merely pointing out the consequences of our relatives who did not maintain contact and the end results.
Two different topics.
( I had gotten into talking about, and now wish that I hadn’t).

Well, your situation isn’t special or unique. That is all.

End of discussion

I just remembered something. When my grandson (who is now 17,) Ryan, was born, his mom wasn’t married and the father was 2000 miles away (long story.) She gave him her surname, Vogler.
Against my advice, Mom got the father’s family involved. When Ryan was about 8 he went for a visit to see them. They insisted that Jen needed to put the father’s name on the birth certificate…so she did. Then they legally changed his last name to Moore. He called me on the phone, almost in tears. He said, “They didn’t even ask me if it was OK! They just did it! They just changed my name!”
I said, “Ryan, you are STILL Ryan Vogler. They can’t force you to use the last name of Moore.”
So he did. And does to this day. That took some guts for an 8 year old to stand up for himself. And in another few months he can legally change it back, all by himself, if he wants.
I hope we don’t end up with any old, poverty stricken relatives in the Ukraine because of it!

Update! I spoke with Ryan a bit ago, and mentioned this. Turns out they didn’t change his name. He said, his Dad is really, REALLY angry about it, and he understands his point of view, but “My name is Ryan Vogler and it always WILL be Ryan Vogler!” :) He said it hasn’t come up in a long time though.
I’m proud of him.